In 2012, worldwide auction sales of fine and rare wine totaled $389 million. While the average price per lot in the U.S. was $2,792, large sums of money were spent on unique or rare bottles of wine from prestigious Château's for exceptional years. For example, in 2012 at an Acker Merrall & Condit's auction in Hong Kong, a 12-bottle case of the Château Mouton-Rothschild 1945 sold for a staggering $214,256. That same year at a Christie's auction in London, a 12-bottle case of Château Cheval-Blanc 1947 fetched a price of $203,918, and at a Sotheby's auction in New York a single bottle of the famed dessert wine Château d'Yquem 1892 was sold for $55,125. In addition, fine and rare wines have changed from just rarefied collectables to investment vehicles for high net worth individuals.
While the amount of money spent on fine and rare wines in 2012 was substantial, it actually represents a decrease of 19% compared to sales figures in 2011, and this was the first decrease since 2009. Although there are many factors that contributed to this decline, wine fraud has had a significant effect on wine prices. Specifically, wine fraud has cast a shadow of suspicion over the fine and rare wine market that has had a chilling effect on the purchasing of such wine. Although wine fraud is not new, the stratospheric surge in the prices of fine and rare wines in the last decades has provided an increased incentive for unscrupulous individuals to try and pass off counterfeits as the authentic product in order to make a quick and substantial profit.
The most certain way to confirm the authenticity of a wine is to open the bottle in which it is stored and test the wine to make a determination as to whether or not it is genuine. Unfortunately, such a procedure renders the wine unsalable and, therefore, worthless. Accordingly, this method is both invasive and destructive.
From the above discussion it can be appreciated that it would be desirable to have a non-invasive and non-destructive way to authenticate bottled beverages, such as wine, to combat fraud and increase consumer confidence in the authenticity of such beverages.